Christmas Medley
by Dusk and Dawn
Summary: Twas the night before Christmas and all through the Castle, a holiday celebration was taking place. Decorations had been placed, food was being prepared, music was planned, and a mistletoe was set. :Character spoilers for Cascading Melody:
1. Seasoning's Greetings

_**(A/N): Dawn and I would like to wish you all a wonderful Holiday season and a joyous New Year! We do not own any of the Disney or Square characters herein, that goes without saying, but any names you don't know are most likely ours and canon singularly to Cascading Melody. As stated, this will have its fair share of spoilers, so if you'd like to wait till chapter 28 or so of CM to come out, be our guest.**_

_**This little one-shot is not to be taken seriously and the character interaction is completely disregarding their roles within the drama that is Cascading Melody. Any talents mentioned here, however, be it culinary or musical, are to be taken as an actual trait of that character.**_

_**Without further adieu, suspend your disbelief, buckle up, put on some holiday tunes, and most of all, enjoy!**_

It was the night before Christmas and the castle was alight with preparations. Organization XIII had been roped into hosting a holiday party for the rest of the cast involved in the latest story they had become a part of and for most of the members, the opportunity was one to throw themselves into happily. Some of the guests that would be there were coming dragged along unwillingly, and a good number of the arrivals would be loaned a black hooded cloak of the Organization's personal stash to keep their identity hidden as they had yet to come into the story—all that could be learned from these individuals who would require hoods were their names.

Long before the first guests appeared, the Castle That Never Was was in an uproar of life as decorations were scavenged, furniture was moved, and some of the instruments that Demyx always insisted upon collecting were brought out of storage and moved into The Grey Area, along with Zexion's piano. A Christmas tree stood at the back of the massive room, centered against the far wall that was made entirely of glass, and to the right of the lighted pine was the sleek black of Zexion's Baby Grand. Above the scene, Xigbar stood suspended against gravity with three rolls of red garland wrapped around his equally red sweater and a roll of clear scotch-tape between his teeth. Busy at work just below the spirited elf was Xaldin and Lexaeus as they maneuvered a long maroon colored couch that they had taken from the library into place, and in the far left of the room Luxord was pulling miscellaneous chairs up to a medium round table.

Demyx had hung a bundle of mistletoe above the only doorway into the room, laughing mischievously as he did so, before running off back to the kitchen where he had a turkey basting in one of the three castle ovens. Saix too was in the kitchen, fixing up puddings from his home world, causing most everyone's mouth to water in anticipation—the blue haired elf was surprisingly an extraordinary cook. Even Vexen had gotten into the spirit and offered to make one of his signature cakes. He had left a beautiful vanilla two layered circle on the counter and a mess in the large sink before disappearing to do some other task.

Most people would be bringing food with them upon arrival so the kitchen wasn't as busy as the cooks had anticipated. Despite the scarcity within the kitchen, that didn't stop the scene from being lively as Demyx rolled up the sleeves to his wool green turtleneck and merrily hummed to himself while unabashedly tring to get Saix to join in, regardless of the fact the elf didn't know the music. For number IX it was all warm up, he as he had been talking to Luxord, Lexaeus and Zexion, and it was agreed that the four of them would alternate cooperatively to provide the seasonal ambiance that was surely a crucial part of any large get-together.

Luxord could play a mean ragtime piano and Lexaeus was talented on acoustic guitar while Demyx had his sitar as well as being competent on the guitar. The other instruments that sat in The Grey Area along with the Baby Grand Piano included a violin, two flutes, and the afore mentioned guitar and sitar. It was Demyx's strong hope that out of all the guests that would be arriving, at least someone among them would know how to play one or two of the other instruments.

The dirty-blonde musician was in mid-spin and halfway through the chorus of _We Three Kings _when the melody that functioned as the castle's doorbell and the Organization's theme song echoed throughout the castle. Like what was common in shops on other Worlds, the Castle That Never Was had a motion sensor system that would ring out within the inner parts of the building to alert the occupants of incoming people. "Saix! I'll be right back but watch my bird, I'm going to go greet them!" Demyx called over his shoulder as he ran out the large double-doors of the kitchen and disappeared into a portal he had summoned.

When Demyx exited the portal he was greeted by Lyra, Que and Axel who, like him, had come quickly to the entrance to see who had arrived. Lyra had her navy blue hair tied in a high pony-tail with a large red and gold ribbon and the little moogle on her shoulder had a matching ribbon around his neck like a teddy bear. Axel was wearing a dark green sweater that complemented his hair to count for all the holiday spirit he wanted to display.

The young woman grinned at the excited musician and Axel nodded in acknowledgement before the four of them turned to walk the rest of the way to the entrance. Coming up to meet them from the cold, bland and metallic front of the castle were three familiar faces and one not previously introduced. Denali and her remaining family called a cheerful greeting to the welcoming party that waited on them. In the black-hared girl's hands was a covered tray that smelled suspiciously like glazed ham.

"Whoa, hold it!" Axel advised suddenly and the approaching group paused. "Give me just a second," the red-head disappeared into a Dark-portal and a minute passed before he reappeared behind the family with a trim, long black cloak. Axel handed the dark material to the male that stood between Denali and the older couple.

"But," the young man looked at the hood dubiously, "I've already been spoken of. Ain't that right Uncle Elijah?"

"That could be true but no one knows what you look like. Well… we do now, but it's alright, we won't spoil anything," Axel told him with a smile as he looked up to his three friends who nodded in agreement.

"Ah, just go along with it Keene, it don't really matter." The blonde woman, Abigale, said while patting her nephew on the back.

"They're quite stylish," The blue-haired woman assured before beckoning the small group to follow her and her friends back up towards the more lived in part of the fortress. "My name is Lyra, we've not actually met yet. And of course, you've probably at least heard of these two; Demyx and Axel."

"Kupo, and my name is Stiltskin, but you can call me Que." The little moogle said from atop Lyra's shoulder, speaking for the first time since the initial greeting.

"My name's Elijah Wren and this is my wife, Abigale, and my niece, Denali, and nephew Keene." The portly older man said with a nod of his graying head. His black suite jacket hid a pair of suspenders and beside him Abigale was in a floral, floor length dress. Denali and her brother were in simple jeans and Christmas sweaters, though, now Keene's was partially hidden by the jacket he was reluctantly wearing with the hood pulled forward.

"Is that tray heavy?" Demyx suddenly asked, his eyes looking at the covered food Denali held on either side with green and white oven mitts. "Here, lets get it in the kitchen and help it to stay warm." He suggested, opening another portal and motioning for her to join him. She gave a leery quirk of the eye before shrugging, and following his lead.

Axel watched them go and then nodded, "He's got a good idea, no point walking all the way up to the lift when we can just take the short cut. Well, Mr. and Mrs. Wren... and Keene, shall we?" He opened his own portal and Lyra and Que exited from it first before being joined by the new arrivals.

* * *

Back in the kitchen Saix was eying Luxord suspiciously as the blonde innocently rooted through the refrigerator, supposedly to retrieve the eggnog he and Xigbar had purchased earlier that day. The elf wasn't buying it though, he had seen the look that the other man had cast his spiced pudding. He would be sneaking none of it, his grubby fingers could wait, just like everyone else.

A light swooshing sound distracted them both and in came number IX from a Dark-portal followed by a female, who's short black hair framed her heart-shaped face and seemed to emphasis her slight blush. She was not exactly a confident-around-new-people kind of person. "This is Denali! She's been in a completely separate part of the plot," Demyx announced as he opened one of the free ovens and turned the heat on low to keep the girl's food warm until it was time to eat.

"Welcome," Saix spoke blandly, casting a warning glance over his shoulder to Luxord who had moved towards the pudding that had yet to fully set up. X cleared his throat before pulling out the large glass bowl of eggnog and shutting the metal door with his foot; Saix was such a prude, he thought.

As Luxord made to exit Zexion entered the room, breathing in deeply and smiling contently. "My new favorite room in the castle," he stated dreamily, taking a seat at one of the two long, wooden tables. "Hello," the cobalt haired man acknowledged the girl standing near the third oven and behind Demyx. "Your role is…?"

"Uh, my home was ravaged by the Nephlim," she spoke softly. "And, uh, I fled to Traverse Town."

"We came back from the dead." Demyx supplied, joining in on the conversation.

"I know." Denali answered with a shrug and chuckle. She looked between the three men still in the room and began to relax. A kitchen was an area she thrived in. "Anyway, is there anything else that needs to be made? I brought a ham. Is anyone bringin' dressing that you know of?" Standing around being quiet wouldn't get her anywhere she decided and she swiftly came to the conclusion that she wanted to be useful to her hosts.

"We don't have any idea who's bringing what." Saix said with a shake of his head, pressing his fingers against his eyes, "No one planned that part very well." And that fact annoyed him; what if they had too much of one thing? Or not enough drinks? Or-

The golden-eyed elf's train of thought was interrupted as a mellow tune drifted through the castle. It was the doorbell again. "I wonder who it is now?" Demyx asked aloud, this time too occupied rummaging through the cabinets to be bothered to go and look himself. "Do you know how to make dressing, Denali? I'm pretty sure we could find all the ingredients for it." He _loved_ the stuff and was taken aback that he hadn't thought of it sooner.

"I'm sure we've got enough time before everyone else gets here, right? Yeah, I know how to make it." The dark haired girl answered with a small smile before joining the musician in inspecting the insides of the cabinets.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the front of the castle, down within the mechanized ring that enabled the fortress to hover off the ground, five more guests were walking up towards the main part of the massive building. "These guys were such a pain in the past. How is it they're hosting a _Christmas_ party now?" The tall brunette among them muttered under his breath. The man looked down at the glass tray of mouse-eared cookies and cringed at their cute and innocent design. It just felt wrong; knowing they were going to the Organization.

"I wouldn't even pay it any attention, Leon." The blonde beside the scarred gunman commented in a cheerful and lazy drawl.

"Heh-heh, yeah, remember, it was Riku's idea to bring them into things and I trust his instincts on this one," the short mouse that led the way commented to the reluctant man. "Cid's right," he added, flicking his thin tail to and fro.

"Hn…" Was Leon's only response. His eyes left the sprinkled sugar cookies and flashed upwards as an all to familiar sound erupted ahead of them. Stepping out of the portal was the silver-haired man he once knew by the name of Xehanort; Leon nodded his head at him stiffly.

"We brought cookies!" Goofy announced cheerfully as a means of greeting. Beside the upright canine, Donald rolled his eyes and sighed.

Leon's cheeks reddened at the comment as he looked down at the sweets in his hands and realized just how non-threatening he looked with them. However, he didn't feel too bad for long once he actually took the time to examine the Organization's leader. Xemnas was wearing a black sweater with a white collared shirt peeking out from underneath, on the front of the thick cotton was a large, glittering snowflake and around the neck and cuffs were smaller snowflakes working as a trim.

"Greetings," the amber-eyed man said with a polite nod.

"Hello yourself!" Cid returned with a thin grin and confident tone. The pilot seemed to be enjoying the other man's choice in fashion and looked like he was trying not to laugh. Mr. Tough Guy himself, in a sissy snowflake sweater!

"The celebrations are being held on the upper other side of the castle. We can take the long way," Xemnas gestured with his hand behind him up the wide passage of metal, "Or we can take the quick way." He waved his hand in front of him and opened a Dark-portal. He knew the general stand-offish attitude these particular guests had towards the Darkness.

"The short way of course!" Donald quacked, not giving anyone else a chance to react. Xemnas smirked and nodded, entering into the portal and beckoning over his shoulder that they should follow him. Despite how unbecoming Cid thought his sweater was—yes, he could read it in the pilot's mannerism—he still managed to radiate a self-assured authority in his actions and the others trailed after him without a fuss.

When the group exited they were in a spacious, cheerfully decorated room with large windows and a tall Christmas tree. It was not what Leon or Cid had been expecting and they spared time to marvel at the quaint but homely look of the place. Xemnas's smirk grew a little wider with pride as he noticed their reactions. Across the room, Lexaeus looked up from the maroon leather couch he and Xaldin had brought in earlier and paused in the tuning of the polished guitar in his lap so that he could greet the newest faces.

"You can put your contribution on the table over there." The muscular man said, motioning with his free hand to the long metallic table beside the door where Luxord was putting the eggnog. Also on hand were two small glass bowls of peppermints on either side of the chilled drink. When Leon made his way over to the table, Lexaeus went back to plucking and tuning his instrument.

"Hey!" A call from the ceiling got everyone's attention and all eyes looked up. Xigbar was about midway through with his garland hanging but had run out of the glittering rope. "Anyone want to go and get me some more of this junk? Preferably red to match what's already up but I don't really care in the end."

"Go get it yourself!" Luxord called up to him from where he stood hovering over the mouse-shaped cookies that had just been placed on the table. From above him, number II groaned. Clearly, he wouldn't have asked if he felt like doing it himself.

"Kupo! I'll help you out, Xigs." Que said brightly, interrupting his previous conversation with Elijah about the Moogle Shop on the currently devastated world of Elydria. "I'll just need some string and cooking oil." The little red ball on his head flashed in anticipation of what he had planed.

"You can bend just about anything to your will can't you? Cooking oil? Really?" Lyra was laughing as she left to go and track down the listed items the moogle had requested.

"Aw, thanks little dude! You're the best Que," Xigbar cooed from upside down, "You t-" He was calling out to Lyra, who was clearly going to help the moogle in his efforts, when suddenly he stammered off as he perceived a potentially awkward situation about to happen. If he would have acted like nothing was wrong then he would not have caught Zexion's attention as he passed underneath the mistletoe at the same moment as Lyra on his way back from the kitchen.

Coincidentally, because of the gunner's flub, both individuals paused and looked up towards him; Lyra slightly confused and Zexion calculating as he immediately realized where he was standing and with whom. With just the slightest glint of mischief noticeable in his eyes he cleared his throat and tapped the girl beside him on the shoulder. Lyra looked at him and without any hesitation the Schemer cupped her face, tilted it back so she saw why he was about to do such a spontaneous act, then brought her head to his and kissed her full on the lips—smirking evilly on the inside as he heard Xigbar's gasp. Zexion counted to five in his head before he released the girl; her face was now as red as the ribbon she wore in her hair.

"I-I'm going t-to have to watch out for that thing, huh?" She asked breathlessly as she gazed up at the small plant above her again. She looked back at Zexion who simply smiled with a small nod and continued on his way, ignoring all the stares of the others in the room. Well, stares and one glare as the Freeshooter unabashedly shot daggers at him. But of course, that was what he had intended, to instigate Xigbar's possessive and competitive side into action. It was hardly a secret that II had a crush on the girl. He would have to later explain some things to Lyra though, he was fully aware that he had dragged the kiss out longer than was required. He didn't want _her_ to think that he meant it.

"Well, now I know ta be careful." Cid stated off-handily from across the room. He hadn't even noticed the mistletoe beforehand. The last thing he needed, aside from being trapped in a stupid Christmas party, was to be publicly humiliated at said party.

After a moment had past, and Lyra had continued on her way, a peaceful tune began to radiate through the room suddenly as Lexaeus finally got the guitar to his liking and his fingers traced over the cords expertly. This caused a general hush to fall and all eyes turned to him. _The Holly and The Ivy_ a few of them recognized was the song he was playing. The brunette had his eyes closed in concentration as he plucked from memory, the style of his playing making it sound like it was more than one instrument within the song.

And soon, it _was_ two people playing as Zexion decided to sit himself down on the piano stool and begin a simple accompaniment, allowing the guitarist to be center stage with the extra flourish to the song. Much to the surprise of the other occupants of the room, Luxord too decided to get in on the act, walking over and humming, getting a feel for where the lyrics would be at with the melody before clearing his throat, "_O the rising of the sun and the running of the deer, the playing of the merry organ; sweet singing of the choir. The holly bears a berry, as red as any blood; and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good..."_

A light swish sounded near the Christmas tree, close by the musicians, but they didn't halt their song as Lumarai and Relena finally made their appearance. The couple wore matching candy-cane like long sleeved shirts and Relena even had a clip of holly in her hair. Lumarai, strangely, held a branching candlestick that would hold seven lights in one hand. The two Organization members exchanged a look but stood like everyone else in silent observation of V, VI, and X.

"_The holly and the ivy now both are full well grown, of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown,"_ Luxord finished but Lexaeus and Zexion held for a few notes more for a coda. When silence hit it was swiftly broken by a round of applause.

"What did I miss?" Lyra asked, coming back into the room with two spray cans and a handful of spools. She handed her bounty to the little moogle who had moved to sit on the stool with Zexion at the piano.

"Just a song, kupo," Que said as he floated up and tossed the materials into the air and a beam shot from the round orb that hung from his head. When they hit the ground, it was in a long coil of red garland. "Luxord has a lovely singing voice you know, kupo, he'll have to give us another song before the night is out."

The gambler in question smiled and shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. Then the blonde caught sight of the new comers, "Well don't you two look cute. But, uh, Lumarai? Last time I checked you were Pagan turned Agnostic, not Jewish. What's with the Menorah?"

Number XI grinned and held up his find proudly. "This is just to aggravate Demyx. Where is he by the way?" The black-haired man sat the candle holder on the back end of Zexion's piano. "No, let me guess, the kitchen," the Roman answered his own question. He didn't mind though, Demyx would inevitably be joining the Grey Area crowd soon enough and he could pester him then. Number IX was a proud Christian, not Bible pushing exactly, but had tried to convert a stubborn Marluxia a few times in the past; tonight Lumarai decided to take it upon himself to represent collectively the non-Christians of the season.

"Ah!" A brief yelp caught the group off guard. Lyra had been pulled to the ceiling along with the garland Que had synthesized, seemingly caught by accident in the gunner's field of casting when he went to retrieve it. Zexion, and the other Organization members knew better though. After the performance VI gave earlier, it was unlikely Xigbar would let her out of his sight for the rest of the night. No one quite understood why neither of them would cave in and just tell the other that they liked them, but, watching their flirting was rather fun too.

"Well, look what I got. Since you're here, might as well help me finish." Xigbar said merrily as he helped the girl to stand upright on the slanted ceiling, letting her get used to the feel of his magic holding her there and surprised to find her circulation working normally.

No one on the ground paid the non-official couple any more attention as the doorbell rang again, sending Organization XIII's theme song bouncing off the walls. "I'll get it," Xemnas announced, not especially enjoying just having to stand around and wait. The silver-haired man opened another Dark-portal and vanished into it, leaving the rest of the room's occupants to shrug and go about their socializing.

Back on the ceiling Lyra was holding onto Xigbar's arm for dear life as she staggered against the vertigo. "You'll get used to it here in a minute," the elf assured her. "Just try not to look up too often."

"Don't you mean down?" She asked sarcastically, opting to just close her eyes for a moment instead. Of course, overall, it's not like she minded where she was at—in particular, with whom. She moved herself to more or less cuddle into his side.

"Well, no. With my magic as thorough as it is, we can just consider everyone else to be on the ceiling." He chuckled as he pressed the roll of clear tape into her hands so that he wouldn't have to hold it in his teeth anymore. "There, you can make yourself useful," he commented, quite amused by her reaction to the situation. She nodded to him, eyes still closed, and he decided to poke more fun into the situation, "You know," his voice was low, "some people might consider this more intimate than sex."

She choked a laugh, her eyes flying open and locking with his, "Oh yeah?" She challenged, "How so?"

Xigbar smiled at her obvious disbelieve and shot her a flirtatious smile before answering, "Beyond the fact that I have complete control over you? For starters, haven't you noticed the fact that all the blood hasn't rushed to your head yet? The only thing making you dizzy is the thought of the ground, not anything physical. My magic, more or less my very essence, is flowing through you right now, keeping your insides in proper order."

Lyra blushed but scoffed and pushed at his shoulder, "That's intimate alright. But I'm sure it doesn't do a thing for you." This kind of banter was exchanged between them often, so she didn't take it to heart; the heart he claimed to literally possess.

The elf chuckled and shook his head, "Hand me a strip of that." He pointed to the tape he had handed her and let their previous conversation drop.

* * *

Elsewhere, Xemnas was sifting through Organization cloaks for the two people he had just met. Grabbing an arm full to just keep on hand at the entrance, he left through a portal to return to his newest guests. "Here you are," the amber-eyed man announced as he returned to the entrance. He handed a medium sized black jacket to the woman and a large to the man. The man handed Xemnas a covered dish as he slipped into the borrowed clothes, the specialized fabric automatically formed to their individual figures.

"What were your names again?" The Superior asked, stealing a peek under the aluminum-foil and receiving a nose full of the spicy cuisine.

"Our real names, or what people are going to come to know us by?" The woman asked, tugging at the zipper of her new cloak in an effort to pull it up past her breasts.

"The latter."

"My name is Nexir," She answered him, finally succeeding to get the slider past her supple chest, managing to thoroughly distract both men during her fight with it.

"_Qui_, and I am known as Terxalis," The other answered after a beat, returning his attention to the other male.

Xemnas shook his head then blinked, "Welcome to the Castle That Never Was." He turned his attention to Terxalis and handed the man back his food, "I can open you a portal directly to the kitchen for that," he offered and the other man nodded his head in gratitude.

Just as Terxalis was about to step through the opened swirl of Darkness, a shout from behind them caused the three to pause and look back towards the entrance. Coming up the walkway was five more people; the Elite of Stehen had just arrived, prince Damien and his wife Lynn leading the small band. The lanky blonde half-elf, Ian, called up ahead to them, "We brought deviled eggs and sausage links!" The teen smiled wider, "And drinks, and a cheese ball with crackers, oh! Can't forget the deer."

"My duck is gonna be better," Terxalis mutter confidently to the two people standing near him. "Well hurry't up den! This here's the door to da kitchen, we'll get all in one go." The thin blonde and the man beside him with the waist length brown braid picked up their pace, their arms loaded down with the afore mentioned foods.

Tjaldin and Ian followed close behind the hooded Terxalis and vanished for the kitchen. Damien, Lynn, and Kirsti caught up at their own time and bowed politely to Xemnas who opened a portal connected to the Grey Area for himself and the four remaining people. "We welcome you to our humble abode," Xemnas spoke to the three just getting there.

"A pleasure to meet you," The gruff, dark-haired man answered in kind before walking through the opened rift and joining the rest of the growing crowd. There were open chairs here and there and three couches in the room. On the far wall Damien noticed the sweets and wished that they would have also thought to brought something along those lines.

"Lyra?!" Lynn called out in surprise when she saw where in the room her sister was. "What in the Worlds!?"

"Hey-ya sis!" The navy-haired woman called from the ceiling, still clinging to Xigbar's arm, especially now that she was intentionally looking down. "Hi Damien, Kirsti. Where are the terrible two?" From the way she was acting, it was perfectly normal to be some feet off the ground.

"They went straight to the kitchen." The short little red-head, Kirsti, supplied for her friend.

"Why are you up there?" Lynn questioned with a chuckle, quickly realizing that her sibling was in no real danger.

"I'm being held hostage." Came the answer.

"But I wont be bought! She's mine for right now, I stole her fair and square," The elf beside her called down playfully.

"Mistletoe!" A shout from across the room interrupted the conversation as Luxord distracted them all with his careful observation to the doorway just as Ian and Tjaldin were walking into the room, a neatly arranged platter of the finger-foods in the taller man's hands, and a jug with a stack of styrofoam cups in Ian's.

"Wait, what?" Ian balked in surprise, looking up quickly at the offending plant in the doorway. "No fair! Anyone but Tjaldin!"

"Oh, shut up and kiss me, my beautiful blonde co-worker," Tjaldin replied playfully and bent down swiftly, before the young man could protest or jerk back and planted a smooch his friend's lips. He was laughing as he pulled away, Ian was blood red and sputtering. The room erupted with laughter and chuckles, all of them thankful for it not being them caught in such an embarrassing spectacle.

"How do women stand to kiss you? Your mustache tickles." Was Ian's only comment as he jumped away from the older man and placed his load on the metallic table where he saw all the other foods and drinks beginning to collect. Tjaldin just didn't care for anything did he? Always out for a laugh.

Zexion struck up another tune on his piano and normalcy resumed within the room. Lexaeus joined in once he recognized the song and soon, everyone was enjoying the happy melody of _Wassail, Wassail._

* * *

The kitchen was its own kind of merry sight. Even Saix was smiling as Demyx continued with his humming, now having two people to join him at it and the cooking resumed. Saix had another pudding finished and was inspecting the condition of his first while Denali slipped her tray of dressing into the oven.

"Shhoo, yaw! If I had my fiddle, we'd really be set," Terxalis said with a chuckle from the table. He had made himself comfortable, not exactly needing to remain in the kitchen but opting to for the company he had found there.

"You play?!" Demyx's face had brightened tenfold at the hooded man's comment. He rushed over to the seated figure and grabbed the back of the chair he was in, "I can totally hook you up, dude! I happen to have a violin." He had just _known_ someone would be able to play it. That only left the flute unaccounted for, but he resolved to ask around when he went to retrieve the stringed instrument for the stranger.

"_Mon Dieu_! I'm Cajun, so by default, one helluvah fiddle player." Terxalis assured with enthusiasm, jokingly falling back on a stereotype. Saix chuckled from his place beside the refrigerator, amused that IX had finally found himself a friend as passionate about music as he was.

"Wait, here, I'll be right back!" Demyx ran out of the room and down the hall, too excited to waste concentration on summoning a dark portal. The Grey Area wasn't that far from the kitchen after all. When he got there he was pleasantly surprised to see how full it was becoming and at the lovely music being provided by his Nobody friends. There, on the ground by the piano and still in their cases, were the three other instruments Demyx owned aside from his sitar.

The young man reached down and picked up the case that held the violin and it's supplies then he grabbed the other two cases and waited for the current song to end before making his announcement. Demyx cleared his throat and called attention to himself, "I have here two clean and oiled transverse flutes. Is there anyone here who knows how to play? It would be kind of nice to have a multitude of different styles to listen to tonight."

"Oh! Damien can!" Lyra yelled down from her position above him; much to the displeasure to the prince in question as he then knew he would be put on the spot sometime before the evening was over.

"Little known fact," from his seat on one of the couches, Cid was chuckling at the warning glare he was receiving, "so can Leon."

"Awesome! Well, there right here if ever one—or both—of you feel like joining in." Demyx replied with a grin before taking his leave from the room for the time being with the violin tucked under his arm. It wouldn't be long before everyone could be in the main room to enjoy the full experience of the party. Though, he was having quite a bit of fun in the kitchen with only the four of them. Saix's biting humor and the agreeable, laid back personalities of the two off-worlders was making for a wonderful time in compensation for being tied to the oven.

When IX returned to the kitchen he was surprised to find Vexen there. The blond was adding meticulous frosting decoration to his cake from earlier, tracing patterns of snowflakes. "When did you get back? I've not seen you for at least half an hour," Demyx commented to the scientist as he perfected his pastry. "Where have you been anyway?"

"Busy," was all Vexen would answer. Demyx shrugged it off and walked over to were Terxalis sat patiently, and although none of them could exactly see his face, it was clear that he was anxious to see the instrument the young man had with him now.

The hooded man took the case and opened it with a whistle. He picked up the bow first and tilted it under a scrutinizing eye before looking back into the case and grabbing the little block of rosin and running it down the length slowly a few times. Then, when he was satisfied he quickly tuned the strings and put his chin to the padding, "Hope ya'll don mind me playin'."

His audience seemed to shake their head as one, curious to see how good he was. He pulled the bow back and fourth a few times experimentally before giving a confidence filled chuckle and taking off at a break-neck pace, fiddle playing like the _art_ that it was. His bow found notes on the back swing that hit just right with the main tune and he tapped along with his foot, encouraging Demyx and Denali into clapping on beat. The song was _Jingle Bells, _even Saix knew that, but the simple and familiar tune was given a little kick under Terxalis's masterful hands.

The man finished to a round of applause and he beamed at the appreciation. "Now that's what I call Holiday mood, no?"

* * *

A golden light flashed from the center of the Grey Area floor causing the music to stop and the light individual conversations to hush. The portal was rather unlike the ones of Dark that had been in use since the party began, but there was no mistaking it. "Merry Christmas!" Adel had arrived.

Following her out of the pink and golden vortex were two other familiar faces, the dark skinned Alister, beaming from ear to ear with a bowl of assorted fruit in his hands, and the feminine figure of Nadia, her light blue hair braided behind her while tiny red bows rested on the corner frames of her thin-rimmed glasses. "Sorry we didn't come by the front entrance," Adel spoke airily as she closed the Light-portal behind her, "It just seemed like it would be a waste of time." The recognized antagonist was—as usual—wearing white, but her short dress this time around was trimmed in white fur and she had matching long boots with soundless bells attached for decoration.

"Make yourselves at home," Xigbar was the first to greet them. He was nearly done with the garland, he only had a few square inches to go. The newest arrivals glanced up to him and his female friend with a hint of curiosity but they seemed to agree that it wasn't worth the effort to ask why they were ignoring gravity.

"I'm supposin' I'll put dis over here den," Alister commented as he walked his prettily decorated contribution over to the long table by the door. On that note, things seemed to mold back to the way they had been before the interruption, Luxord resumed the frantic pace of a Ragtime version of _Carol of the Bells_ and bits of small talk picked up where they had left off.

Adel strode over to where Xemnas was talking with a hooded woman and waited for a polite time to let herself into the conversation. Alister made his way over to the pianist and watched with admiration as the man pecked away at the keys, and Nadia found and empty chair near a table to occupy after grabbing herself a cup of eggnog and two cookies. Although a number of the expected guests had yet to show up, it was nevertheless a lively scene. Nadia's magenta eyes trailed over the room's occupants and a content smile crossed her face; this was nice.

Someone sat down beside the blue-haired tactician and the girl looked over to find out who. With that mess of red hair it wasn't a hard face to remember, "Hello Axel." She offered one of the cookies she had to him, not particularly liking sweets and wondering what had possessed her to pick them up to begin with. He took it happily.

"You look a little bored," the fire elemental commented. He had noticed she was the only person aside from himself who hadn't been absorbed in some conversation. Out of his own boredom, he had decided to remedy that. "Things will liven up a little more once Luxord decides to leave the piano alone again and bust out with a game of cards. Do you play?"

"Depends really. And, for the record, I'm not bored," she had only just gotten there after all.

"Well I am," Axel admitted with a sigh. He had heard a rumor that Roxas was suppose to be coming in his own body to the party and impatience was eating him alive. Every time the doorbell had rang he had gotten his hopes up. He hadn't seen the blonde in a long while and missed picking fun at him.

"Sorry?" Nadia offered before drinking another mouthful of eggnog. "Can't say I'm the best conversationalist though," she warned him with an apologetic smile.

"Eh, you'll do," he said casually, shrugging his shoulders. "You want to go see what the Kitchen Crew is up to?" He asked, having grown tired of hanging around the Grey Area.

"The who?" She asked him, though not protesting. It would be something to do, she supposed. Though she wasn't bored, she was not opposed to finding something to occupy her idleness with. Axel stood up and motioned her to follow him.

"That's what I've been calling the handful of people hiding out in the kitchen. Demyx and Saix are there that I know of and this girl named Denali," the man explained, leading the way.

"AHEM," a loud and suggestive throat clearing sounded from behind the two as they reached the door. Zexion had spotted them and pointedly drew attention to the fact that they had accidentally made themselves the next victims of the mistletoe. It was quite a fun game he realized and he would make it a point to be on the look out for people who forgot about it's existence.

Axel slapped his head with his hand, how had he not remembered it was there? "Well, in the name of tradition..." Axel smirked as he turned her head up to be in better reach.

"Whoa, what?" Nadia knew what was coming and blushed brightly as their lips met in sight of everyone in the room. It was brief contact but that didn't take away the flutter in her stomach. Talk about consorting with the opposite side!

"Anyway," Axel said, a charming half smirk on his face as he ignored the expected teasing from the watchers and chose instead to go about their business, "I'm sure there's something to do in there. Demyx isn't likely to let a place he has to be in remain dull." When would that bloody turkey be ready anyway? He was beginning to suspect that maybe those who were in the kitchen actually found it more amusing a place to be than the Grey Area.

He wasn't to find out if this assumption was correct or not as the doorbell rang again. "I'll get it!" He called over his shoulder back into the room they had just left. "Wanna come with?" He was already opening a portal, thoughts of checking in on the Kitchen Crew all but nonexistent now.

"I've nothing better to do I suppose," she answered and the two portaled to the entrance. Waiting on them there was none other than the group from Destiny Islands: Riku and his family, Sora and Kairi, and as a special Christmas treat, separate and in appropriately aged versions of their old bodies was Roxas, Namine, and Xion.

"Good to see ya again!" Axel greeted, to his best friend in particular, but not specifically excluding the others that were with him. "It's funny, I was just talking about you earlier," the red-head smiled.

"We brought cookies," Sora informed holding the tray out to the Nobody.

"Wow. You're like the first one to think of that." Axel replied in a sarcastic tone, but it wasn't malicious. He had to chuckle at the sigh of exasperation from the other man though.

"I've prepared some fried vegetable wraps. They are on the spicy side." Yanna joined in, motioning to the large container her husband was holding while she herself supported Eva on her hip. "Might we go inside now?" She was thinking of her baby, it was very drafty and chill where they stood waiting and although the little girl was bundled in a yellow fleece blanket along with a little jacket, there was still the concern that she might catch a cold.

"Ah yes," Axel opened a returning portal, "sorry about that." He let them all go before him, looking them over as they did so. Sora was sporting what looked like could pass as green overalls over a white shirt and with a white and red jacket over top them both—Axel would never quite understand the unique fashion of his World. Riku wore a grey and maroon checkered sweater-vest over white long sleeves and blue jeans—nothing unusual. The girls, aside from Yanna, were in relatively matching dresses that rested knee length and had gold and sliver trim around the neck: Kairi wore green, Namine was in red, and Xion in white. Yanna matched her husband's more modern choice, wearing a maroon sweatshirt over black jeans that had sliver designs sewn in.

"What an assortment," Axel commented to Nadia as he did a quick appraisal of what Roxas was wearing: an open red vest over a navy blue sweater and dark dyed blue jeans. "I feel under-dressed." He chuckled; as if it mattered. The three of them entered last and were glad to be in the warm again.

"'Bout time you got here!" Cid called to the Keybearers, now standing with a plate in his hand and picking through the growing choices at the table. He was in line with Xigbar—the elf having finally joined the ground again to eat. "Mm, what is it you've brought, Ms. Yanna?" The pilot asked as the woman and her husband made their way across the room. She told him and he grinned, planning to help himself to a few of the spicy wraps.

"We've got quite the group here, huh." Xaldin commented to Xemnas as he made his way over to his friend who still stood standing near the Christmas tree, flanked on either side by Adel and Nexir.

"Indeed. We only lack a few people more before we've got the whole cast, if I am correct," the silver haired man answered. The low murmur that the room had begun in was now a steady drown as the crowd chatted among with one another and exchanged pleasantries. "How in the Worlds is it possible to keep track of so many people..." He pondered.

* * *

In the kitchen, Vexen was sitting at the table with Terxalis. The man had been providing song after song for the last ten minutes and it never ceased to impress the others in the room. After _Greensleeves, _though, the Cajun decided to take a break. The atmosphere that had been collecting among them was relaxed and homely as smells of the filling and rich foods intermingled among the rather serene company.

"I wouldn't mind just staying the whole time in here," Vexen admitted, propping his elbows up onto the table and resting his head on them, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. He hadn't felt this at peace in a while. "I can only imagine how loud it's gotten over in The Grey Area..."

"I don't believe it's as bad as you might think," Saix assured, "its far more busy than we are in here, but from what I can tell, it's tolerable."

"I wonder if we should go ahead and take Denali's and Terxalis's food out there," Demyx voiced, from what the blue-haired elf said, apparently a good number of people were there and waiting. Though he understood where Vexen was coming from, he personally couldn't wait to get out to the main party. He was suppose to be helping Zexion, Luxord, and Lexaeus after all! But, he had been the one to act upon Denali's suggestion of dressing and now, even though his turkey was done—needing only to be carved, he stayed in the kitchen with her and the others until the breaded dish's completion.

"What did you bring Terxalis?" The blonde scientist asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Wild duck, smothered in jalapeño, cream-cheese, wrapped in bacon and slow roasted over a pit fire," the other man said proudly, plucking a few cords of the borrowed violin as he contemplated the next song he would play.

"It's going to kill me isn't it?" Vexen had opened his eyes after 'cream-cheese' to stare incredulously at the cloaked figure across the table from him.

"Look at it dis way, you taste heaven and den you see it, no?" He laughed heartily at the chuckled half groan from the older man.

"Here, Demyx," Denali voiced, walking over to the third oven with two mitts in her hands, "you're right, let's go ahead an' have these setting out for everyone. My ham's precut, and I'm sure if we leave a knife and serving fork beside it, anyone brave enough to attempt Terxalis's duck will be able to handle gettin' themselves a piece of it." She opened the pull-down door and scooted the rack out, "You get one and I'll get the other."

The young blonde nodded, and after snatching up his own set of oven-mitts, grabbed the heavy looking covered dish that the raven-haired girl had arrived with. She smiled at his obvious thoughts towards chivalry before reaching for the Cajun's smaller, aluminum-foil covered tray. "We'll be back in a sec, the dressing still has about five minutes anyway."

With that the two departed and as they walked down the wide hallway, they heard as Terxalis started up with another song, it was _Jingle Bells_ again. "Heh, I kinda feel bad for leavin' Keene, Uncle Elijah and Aunt Abigale out here without me for so long. I wonder what they've been up to?" Denali voiced somewhat rhetorically.

"Going by what you've spoken about them, I'd say they've made themselves right at home," Demyx assured from her left as he led the way to their destination. "Besides, the-"

"MISTLETOE!" Five different voices yelled at them as they entered the large room. Not only had Zexion taken it upon himself to keep an eye on the doorway, so had Luxord, Lumarai, Relena, and Lyra. The two stopped dead in their tracks and nearly all eyes turned to them. Denali's stomach clenched nervously and she felt her face grow hot, she did _not_ like the attention being directed at her.

"It's only ironic 'cause you're the one who put it there." Xigbar commented with a chuckle from nearby. "Might as well be punished by it fair and square, like everyone else."

"Punished?" Demyx laughed as he looked at the girl beside him, noticing the heavy blush and posture that screamed insecurity. He didn't have time to be embarrassed himself, "No way, I'm being rewarded!"

Because they were both holding bulky food containers, it made it rather non-romantic, but that did not prevent Demyx from leaning over and planting a kiss on the girls cheek. The room cooed at the scene and the musician chuckled, nudging the girl out of the doorway and directing her towards the table to their right. He kept himself between Denali and the crowd, who—to their credit—had already gone back to what they were doing previously. He helped her set up the dishes then whispered to her lightly, "We can just portal back to the kitchen if you like."

She seemed to debate with herself a bit but then relented to give him a nod. To her left a light swoosh sounded and the two entered in once the food was set and looking appetizing. When they got back into the kitchen Denali flung her hands to her face and laughed nervously. "T-that was soooo embarrassing. I hate being put on the spot. Thanks though," she looked back up at Demyx her face still flushed, "I would have frozen up otherwise."

The musician was blushing as well, "I'm glad I've had practice. A-at being a people person!" He swiftly had to clarify as he realized how that could have sounded. "Being center of attention doesn't bother me like it once did."

From across the room Saix was getting his puddings out and grabbing the ginger off a shelf to sprinkle over top before declaring them finished; he didn't understand what had gotten the two so flustered and feared that he probably wouldn't get it even if he were to ask. Terxalis had put down the fiddle and was chatting with Vexen about something and then Demyx remembered his turkey. The wheels in his head were spinning before he had time to stop them and in a rare moment, he felt a lot like Zexion as a plot formed and he designed to follow through with it.

"Hey, Terxalis? I'm about to carve my turkey, think you could carry it into the party room for me? Saix'll show you how to get there, he's got to take his puddings." The blonde asked innocently as he walked over to the first stove and opened it to get the bird out.

"Mmhm, no problem," the man replied, interrupting his conversation with the academic momentarily to respond. From over at the counter Saix looked over at Demyx curiously, something was telling him not to trust number IX just then but he couldn't be sure what. Without a solid suspicion for why, his pride made him dismiss the notion and he finished topping his desserts, then he waited for the young man to cut the meat so that he could be on his way.

Denali was looking at Demyx in wide-eyed amusement. She couldn't believe he was setting his friend up like that! Far be it from her to impose, though, she thought to herself, fighting back a small giggle. She wondered if Demyx planned on using the portals to put them into the room ahead of the two so that they would get to watch. There was a part of her that felt bad for not warning the two men what the blonde had planned, but a quick wink from Demyx had put that thought aside.

The young musician worked furiously at carving, laying the meat on a florally decorated metallic tray. He was trying not to focus too much on his little plan, it didn't escape him the fact that Saix had some gift with empathy, but so far the elf didn't seem about to call him out on it. He scarcely remembered to separate the light meat from the dark before kissing his fingers with a final, "Vwa-la!"

Terxalis got up and retrieved the platter and Demyx made a beeline for oven number two to look in on the dressing to seem preoccupied. "So, Denali, you think this is finally ready yet?" He asked the girl, motioning her over for a look inside.

"Only one way to find out," she said, managing to keep her voice even and adjusting her grip on the oven mitts from earlier. She pulled the tray out and put it on top of the surface, Saix and Terxalis had already left the room.

Demyx spun around and caught Vexen's attention from across the room. He opened a dark portal and frantically motioned the older blonde to follow him and Denali out. He dared not speak, he knew good and well how advanced Saix's hearing was. Vexen saw that his subordinate had something planned and curiosity bid him to go along with him.

The three arrived in the relatively crowded Grey Area far before the victims did. It wasn't a long wait however, and this time Demyx was granted the opportunity to be one of the ones yelling, "Mistletoe!" Once the doorway was occupied.

"I've been hearing that all night, what in the name of the _Valar_ do you possibly mean by it?" Saix asked irritatedly. He didn't know what was going on but he knew he didn't like it.

"You mean ya don know what you're suppose ta do under a mistletoe?" Terxalis asked disbelievingly from the elf's side with a smile in his voice. "Is tradition! Let Terxalis show ya," and without warning he grabbed the elf by the side of his head and pulled his face to his, making a dramatic smooching sound as he pressed his lips against the stunned elf's cheek.

Saix jerked away violently, eyes wide, as he rubbed his sleeve across where Terxalis had caught him. "So _that's_ it, is it?" His golden eyes searched the crowd and found Demyx near the back, beside the piano he shot the younger man a glare, he knew he should have trusted his instincts! "What a strange ritual..." he muttered to himself as he turned and placed his puddings on the tabletop, having to move some things around to make room for his second one. He would have to remember to pay Demyx back.

"That was quite a nasty trick, number nine," Vexen remarked with approval in his voice as he turned towards the younger man. "I would be careful for the rest of the night though, if I were you." Demyx just laughed in answer and opened another Dark-portal to head back to the kitchen; in his hurry he had left the oven both on and open. "On Saix of all people!" Vexen was still chuckling to himself as he followed him into the swirling darkness– he had a cake he needed to get.

The doorbell rang, bringing a momentary hush to the Grey Area as the dreary jingle echoed throughout the castle. Eyes cast around for a bit and then finally someone volunteered to go and greet the late arrivals. Xaldin opened a portal and stepped through to the entrance.

"Elves, party of nine!" A tall red-head announced upon number III's appearance. "Sorry we're late," Relich added with a shrug of his shoulders. "We had to go pick up Radagast and Iliana," he pointed over his shoulder to a tall couple, a man with long orange hair and a woman with wavy blonde.

"Uh...huh." Xaldin answered blandly, it wasn't like he was on first name basis with these people.

"This one needs a cloak, from what I read in the memo," the royally dressed auburn haired elf spoke. Herumor indicated the Organization member to the little girl at his side, "She's still a few scenes away in the story plot." On Herumor's other side was his wife Neysa and their three sons.

The violet-eyed elf smiled down at the preteen and nodded, reaching over into the pile Xemnas had laid out earlier. "Here you are. And what is your name?" It was a little known fact that Xaldin had a bit of a soft spot for children.

"Phthalein," she answered him quietly. "Nice to meet you Xaldin." The others found it only slightly strange that the girl hadn't actually been told his name yet, but no one said anything.

The dark-haired elf nodded and then looked over at the young boys beside their father, "And these are yours I see."

Neysa nodded, her pink her in tight ringlets and ribbons, making her appear far younger than she actually was, "This is Tohan, our oldest, Kirian, and their youngest brother Cyrus," She introduced her children. "Fourteen, eight, and four." She offered him a pleasant smile, "I'm Neysa, and this is my husband Herumor and my brother-in-law, Relich."

The purple-haired teen spoke up from beside his king, "I'm Everst, and this is Oleander. We brought meatballs and apple turnovers." He and the tall green haired elf, Oleander, held the offered treats.

"And chocolate truffles and peanut-butter fudge," The blonde queen added brightly.

Number III nodded and opened a portal for them all, "You're not too terribly late, but let us not dawdle."

"That's so cool! How did you do that?" Kirian asked, earing a chuckle from the adults and his older brother as he was ushered into the vortex.

"Magic," Xaldin answered with a grin.

* * *

Sora sat beside Kairi and Riku was at his right side with Eva on his lap as Yanna picked around the food table on the other side of the room. Namine and Xion had separated from them almost immediately upon arrival, going out and seeking the company of the Organization members they had been on good terms with during their stay with them. The blonde's red dress was spotted over by the Christmas tree, near by the piano and the musicians. Xion and Roxas had split off with Axel and the three of them, along with Nadia, sat at the back table over in the corner gossiping.

The keyblade wielder had a paper-plate on his lap that he was sharing with his girlfriend as they inspected the lively party. Sora was surprised. Like Leon before him, he had been expecting something bland or menacing with a few handfuls of glitter thrown over top to try and make it passable as a Christmas celebration, but he was far more satisfied with what it honestly ended up being. He had genuinely laughed both times he had witnessed someone get trapped under the doorway, he was enjoying the music that had nearly continuously been there in the background since the beginning of the evening, and on top of it all, the food was great.

"A person could get used to this kind of thing," the brunette commented to Kairi with a smile. She nodded with an answering grin and adjusted the strap to her green dress. Sora reached over and brushed some of the long red hair out of her face tenderly, she looked very pretty tonight, he thought. Kairi blushed under his touch and adverted her gaze shyly.

Sora was forced to redirect his attention as a tap from his right called it away. Riku was bouncing Eva on his leg, but with his free hand he was pointing conspiratorially to the mistletoe a little ways away and giving a knowing wink. The keyblade-master looked over at the plant then back to his left at Kairi who didn't happen to have been following his gaze and he understood perfectly what the silver-haired man was suggesting. The question was, did he wait to catch her under it or did he just instigate by unabashedly walking her over to it. Then man jumped up, it didn't take much to make up his mind.

"Huh?" Kairi gasped as she was gently pulled off the couch. "Where are we going?" Her cheeks threatened to match her hair when he led her to stop under the mistletoe with him.

"This kind of stuff doesn't happen often enough," he commented regretfully with a rueful smirk on his lean features. Lacking the awkwardness he would have had as a boy, Sora took Kairi by the waist and pulled her close to him, collecting her lips for his own. The room erupted in "aww"s and whoever was at the piano at the time chose to be a smart-aleck and churned out a little victory theme when the two finally pulled away.

Kairi allowed herself to be guided back to the couch and she snuggled against her boyfriend as they took back their seats. "That...was _nice._" She said approvingly, her cheeks still a pretty blush.

"Evening!" The seated group was greeted pleasantly by Luxord. The gambler was making his rounds through the room during his time off from the piano and had been wanting to strike up a conversation with his former nemeses since they had come in. "Enjoying yourselves?" The platinum blonde asked politely.

"Yes, thank you," Yanna answered with a pleasant smile to the friendly man.

"So, this is your daughter, eh Riku? She's a beauty. I must say, it's strange to see you so grown up. Do you mind if I hold her?" Luxord asked holding out his arms a little in anticipation. Riku obliged, though a little reluctantly, and submitted his protective nature to his need to be polite in return as he lifted his little girl up to the other man. The blue-eyed Nobody was careful as he took the child and brought her to his chest, "What's her name?"

"Eva Katsura," her father supplied.

"Cute. She's very well behaved, I've not heard a fuss out of her since you all got here," Luxord complemented. Riku's chest swelled in parental pride at the other man's praise as he cooed at his baby. The blonde chuckled, "You make a fine dad, ol' chap. And you have yourself one jolly good catch of a wife," he added with a nod.

Yanna blushed, and as Luxord was handing the bundled little one back to her parents, another shout went through the room. The call for the mistletoe startled them this time around and they turned to look quickly to see who it was under it this time.

"OH HELL NO!" Vexen's surprised and indignant protest was bordering on a shrill plea as Lumarai grinned at him with a look that would put the Cheshire to shame. "This is entrapment, you walked over here just because you saw me coming!"

"Nonsense, I was going to the bathroom," the other man virtually purred. He took the cake from the blonde's grasp and leaned over to sit it on the table. Then he made a grab at Vexen who was trying to dodge away from him and make a run for it. The curly-haired man spun the thin blonde around and brought him into a low dip, "Don't deny yourself, you've been wanting something like this for some time now," His lips were hovering above the other man's as he spoke. Vexen had gone stiff, his face scrunched in disbelieving indignation.

Lumarai chuckled and just when it looked like he was about to plant a full kiss on the lips, he shot up and popped the man a smooch on his forehead. "I hate you." Vexen stated dead-pan. Lumarai laughed at his comment and unceremoniously dropped him to the floor where he rolled away and stood up to dust himself off.

The room had been deathly quiet. That was the biggest performance that little plant had provided for them yet! At the anti-climactic end no one could stop themselves from laughing, much to Vexen's chagrin.

Luckily for IV, the room didn't have a long time to dwell on the spectacle they'd just enjoyed as the door bell rang, announcing the last of their guests for the evening. "I'll go this time," Xemnas announced from the back of the room, politely excusing himself from the women talking to him.

* * *

When Xemnas exited at the entrance he was pleased to find his guests already sifting through the cloaks that had been laid out, he wouldn't have to explain things. Though, only two of them were doing so, everyone else stood back and waited patiently. "I believe you six are going to need hoods too," the superior informed them. "Well, possibly not the little boys, they were in chapter twenty, weren't they..."

"Cool! I was hoping to get to wear one," the teenage girl among them stated before running over to her friends to look through the garments for a size that would fit her.

"But, people know who we are," the thin dark-haired man complained. He bore a thick accent reminiscent to Lumarai's, "We're pretty famous."

"Even so, it's kind of a rule that if you haven't been mentioned in the main story yet, you have to wear a cloak."

The Italian laughed, "Even Stitch?"

Xemnas nodded, "Yes, Mr. Santorini, even Stitch. We have an extra-small size thanks to our moogle friend, Que, that should fit him fine."

The tall, dark-skinned man with them chuckled at his friend, "Could you hold these a second then? Do you have an extra large? Oh! That's a pineapple upside-down cake courtesy of Lilo, and a macaroni salad courtesy of Vinny and myself."

"Mos'ly me," Vinny commented as he shrugged on one of the cloaks. "Could we just wear this for the significance and-a not bother with the hood?"

The silver-haired man sighed in defeat, "Sure, if you insist. However, the hood rule must be enforced with your two friends here. What are your names, if you please?"

"My name is Fredrick," the man said, having pulled the hood over his head without being told. "And this is Jetta."

"And my name is Alexander. You didn't ask me who _I _was. And this is Orion, he's my brother," one of the little boys spoke up. The two looked like twins—and in fact were—with curly light brown hair and sea-foam green eyes.

The amber-eyed man chuckled, "My apologies, young man." Xemnas replied to him, humoring the stout little tike. "How old are you two?"

"Six!" They answered in unison.

"I see. Well, if everyone is ready, let's get up to the room where the party is actually being hosted," and with that he summoned his last Dark-portal for the night. "I'll go ahead and carry these for you, Dr. Sweet," Xemnas told him as the muscular man offered to take back the containers he had asked Xemnas to hold for him.

The group exited and what they found surprised Xemnas as all the furniture was being pushed to the very sides of the room under Demyx's direction, "Should I ask?" The superior questioned aloud as he walked over to set the last of the food onto the almost completely covered long table.

"We took a vote while you stepped out," Roxas informed him, with a veggie-wrap in his hand. "Demyx asked if anyone would be up for some formal dancing, enlisting the assistance of _all_ the instruments for a few songs and, surprisingly, thirty-one out of forty voted yes." The blonde shrugged and took another bite of his food. He himself was contemplating asking Namine to be his dance partner.

Beside the baby grand piano, where long ago Lexaeus had pulled a chair up beside, now stood Terxalis with the violin and a reluctant looking Damien along with an embarrassed Leon as they inspected the flutes they would be playing. They had been guilted into it.

After asking for the furniture to be moved Demyx had run off to his room to grab his binder filled with sheet music, in case it would come in handy. "We'll start with just a Christmas Medley," Lexaeus was saying, flipping through the tattered pages of the young blonde's notebook. "I personally would enjoying hearing something with just the violin and flute," the russet-haired man commented, glancing up and looking at the ready and willing Terxalis and the crown prince of Stehen.

"Can do," the hooded man said cheerfully. He ran the bow across the strings a few times, excited to be playing with other people. He looked at the pages Lexaeus had pulled out and was proud to know that he knew every song.

"I guess start finding yourself a partner, people," Luxord called, cracking his knuckles and setting down at the piano. Zexion bumped him out of the seat, however.

"I get first go. You go find _yourself_ a dance partner." The cobalt-haired man told him with a satisfied smirk. "Relena!" The red-head walked over to him, "Do you think you could manage to dim the lights?"

The woman smiled cockily, "Nooo... that's just too difficult, I could never manage something of that level," she answered laced in sarcasm before raising her hands to the ceiling and adjusting the flow of electricity to lessen the florescent. "Hm... actually, you know what would be better?" Her feminine touch, though rumored to be nonexistent, was coming through. "We should just turn the lights out altogether and go by candle light. We don't have the time to track down that many candlesticks in the castle, but you could always volunteer Axel."

"Alright, go tell him and we'll get this dance underway," Zexion replied with a nod. He was a man who valued atmosphere. You couldn't have what could lead up to being intimate dancing with a stark florescent glaring harshly overhead. It was all about ambiance!

The room's lighting was changed as the lights were replaced with little flames overhead, appearing to be held by an invisible, giant chandelier and there was a hum of action as the people sorted themselves out and paired off. Sora bowed like a gentlemen in front of Kairi and held out his hand expectantly. Lumarai wrapped an arm possessively around Relena, Tjaldin tapped Kirsti on the shoulder and grinned, Ian offered his arm to Lynn as her husband was trapped on an instrument, and Demyx sought out his new friend Denali.

As the music started, other couples began to take to the dancing, Roxas and Namine set the dance as they began a waltz to the tune and everyone followed their lead. Radagast gracefully spinning Iliana away from and into him, Fredrick and Jetta– though both wore masking cloaks, pressed themselves intimately together as they moved to the melody, and Herumor escorted his wife into a seamless dance , leaving Tohan in charge of his brothers.

At the side of the room still, Riku was adjusting Eva on his shoulder where she had drifted off to sleep. Yanna was grinning at her husband fondly and gently stroked her daughter's head, kissing her husband on the cheek affectionately. A throat cleared beside them and the couple turned to find Xaldin standing there, "If you two would like to dance, I will hold your little one for a time."

Riku shook his head with a smile, "No thanks," he said in a hushed voice, "I'm going to be dancing with both my girls." With one arm supporting his baby he held his wife's hand in his other and allowed her to take the more masculine position, putting her other arm around him and they left at a slow sway.

"Well, that leaves you without an excuse," a young girl's voice spoke beside Xaldin. He turned to find a tanned girl with long black hair and wearing one of their cloaks looking up at him. "Guess that means you should dance with me," She surmised with a grin.

The man chuckled at her boldness, "Alright, may I have this dance Ms. Lilo?" He asked with a flourish as he held out his hand to her. She had been the one to call him out on his escape plan. He led her away from the wall and they picked up the waltz, dancing between Axel and Xion and Adel and Alister.

Still against the wall was the small cloaked figure of Phthalein as she waited patiently for someone to ask her to dance. It wasn't a long wait as Luxord noticed the young girl with her head down and felt compelled to go and allow her some fun. "Excuse me Miss," the blonde caught her attention, "but if you aren't yet spoken for, might I have your company for a time?" He couldn't see it, but she was blushing furiously as she nodded and allowed for her hand to be taken.

Luxord led her into the moving crowd and spun her around, they ended up beside Relich and Nadia—the young elf didn't even have to ask, he had merely nodded to the girl and it was agreed—and on their opposite side was Lyra and Xigbar. Luxord smiled down charmingly at the young girl, happy to be spreading cheer, although he couldn't make her face out completely, he could see she was grinning.

"Dance with me," it wasn't a question, Xemnas noticed as the woman came to stand in front of him. From under her hood, Nexir was smirking as her order caused the man to sputter. She held out her hand and he put down his drink, takeing a few steps beyond her and then taking her hand to lead her onto what was now the dance floor. Why fuss, he decided getting swept up in the mood of the night.

As the musicians played, the floor in front of them became a spinning sea of colors as most of the dancers began to fall in sync with one another. The tempo picked up and fell throughout their performance, and the dancers matching them seamlessly. At one point in a song Leon and Damien were singled out as the others paused to give them a solo. By that time though, both men had been taken by the music and didn't so much as bat an eye in disapproval as their breath and fingers caressed their instruments in complement to one another.

Finally, the makeshift band winded to a stop entirely and for their work they were rewarded with joyous clapping. The people behind the instruments bowed humbly, and smiled at their audience. "One final song! This time, lets have something with lyrics!" Elijah Wren called from within the crowd.

"Who would like to volunteer to sing, though?" Axel asked, knowing very few people would put themselves on the spot and would need to be provoked out.

"Lyra can sing," Damien offered with a smirk, pointing to her with the flute that _she_ had signed him on for. Several others voiced their agreement and the girl was herded almost against her will to the front of the room. The navy haired girl glared at her military leader and shook her head with a scowl.

Demyx walked up and offered to relieve Lexaeus of his position on guitar, guiltily noting that he should have been on hand to do it earlier. He had a song in mind for the girl, having heard her sing a few times before, he placed the strap of the guitar over his shoulder and looked through his notebook that lie nearby. He pulled a page from it and handed it to Lyra. "Know this one?" He asked hopefully. She nodded and he smiled, "Good. I'll strum your intro..." he plucked at the instrument and took the seat that number V had held previously.

Lyra blushed lightly under the attention but she held her own, framed on either side by Zexion and Demyx, who were comfortable in these types of situations. Borrowing from their natural ease she began, "_Hark the herald angels sing, 'Glory to the new born King.' Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinner reconciled. Joyful all the nations rise, join the triumph of the skies; with the angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem," _her voice was gentle and only Demyx and Zexion accompanied her, "_Hark! The herald angels sing, 'Glory to the new born King."_

The room was in quiet awe as they listened to the song, the lyrics emphasizing a message of peace. A few of the couples held their spouses close and a warmth began to stir throughout the room; it had begun with the dancing but now, a feeling of serenity and joy washed over them all so soundly that it was almost palpable. "..._born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of Earth, born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing, 'Glory to the new born King_.'"


	2. Mistletoe Crisis

_**(A/N): Because we just couldn't fit all that we wanted to into one chapter alone without overwhelming it more than it already was. **_

Lexaeus flexed his fingers between songs. Zexion could play a few solos while he got up to stretch his legs and to grab a bite to eat. The table had gotten full throughout his time behind the guitar, and it was only his self-imposed since of duty that had kept him seated for so long while tempting scents from across the room wafted to him.

He shuffled over to the covered table and looked over the certifiable feast that lie before him. His mouth watered, but first! Bathroom. He eyed the snacks—and in some cases delicacies—longingly before heading over to the door.

"Excuse me," A soft voice spoke and he nodded and moved out of the way and let her pass.

"MISTLETOE!" Lexaeus felt his eye twitch at the shouted word. More and more people had been joining in on guard duty, looking for people exactly like him, who'd become too lost in thought to notice their surroundings. He looked to his left where Namine had paused in surprise.

The tall man shook his head and smiled down at the blonde. She was in a lovely figure hugging red dress, which made her look the age she was portrayed currently: somewhere between nineteen or twenty. "Guess we should have been paying more attention." He said bending over slightly and kissing her on the top of the head.

"Uh huh," She blushed and they both carried on with their business.

* * *

Mistletoe; it was such a seemingly meaningless decoration. It was fixed innocently above the only doorway in the room but one couldn't let it's looks fool you, apparently. No, this plant had a curse on it, or an oath of tradition—they both amounted to the same consistent result—that if two people were underneath it at the same time they would have to kiss.

It hadn't taken but two displays of this power to realize what the plant's significance was. Radagast stared at the ribbon laced leaves from across the room as he thought about it. His fingers drummed on his knee restlessly as he sat with his Queen near the lighted and tinsel covered tree. She was lost in conversation with an older human female and her husband and kinsman. Iliana could make small talk with anyone, Radagast was aware.

His grey-green eyes glanced to his side at her and then he turned his attention to the doorway again.

"My Lady," he had waited till there was a pause in the conversation at hand, "might you accompany me for a second?"

"Sure!" The blonde dismissed herself politely from the family she had been chatting with and stood for the orange-haired General in order to walk with him.

Radagast had long known his queen's affection for him, she did a poor job at hiding it, and he felt that it was time that he stopped ignoring his own desire to show his reciprocation.

His footsteps were purpose filled despite their leisurely pace. Inwardly he smirked as he got the response he had expected, "MISTLETOE!"

Iliana didn't even get a chance to respond as the taller elf grabbed her and pulled her down into a dip, kissing her passionately on the lips. When he allowed her back up, for once, she was speechless. His confident smirk spoke all that needed to be said, though.

* * *

Yanna tapped one of the Organization members on the shoulder to get their attention, the raven-haired man halted his his conversation with his girlfriend and turned around.

"Yes?" Lumarai answered.

"Could either of you tell me which way it is to the restroom?" The caramel-skinned woman asked kindly.

"Sure, just go down that hallway there until you come to an intersection, turn right and then follow that hall all the way to the end and it will be there on your left at the intersection after the first," He explained politely.

Leon overheard the directions and walked over to Yanna as she made her way towards the exit, he needed to use the bathroom as well. The two of them cringed simultaneously as the familiar shout went up from the watchdogs. The brunette coughed awkwardly as he looked at the married woman beside him. From the corner of his eye he saw Riku stiffen protectively.

The president from Radiant Garden was quick on his fee,t however, and took the woman's hand. He pressed his lips to her knuckles and then looked over at the silver-headed keybearer.

"You have a lovely wife Riku." He assured before he resumed his walk towards his destination.

* * *

Cid looked down at the little cloaked figure in front of him and scoffed. He knew what he was being peer-pressured into but how was he suppose to accomplish it? For her part, the little girl didn't seem any more confident about it than he did.

"How the hell am I suppose to kiss 'er with that hood in the way?" The pilot asked, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Eh, screw it," he bent down and kissed the dark leather on the top of her head.

"What do you say, that still counts, right?"

Phthalein laughed lightly and nodded her head, "I believe it does."

* * *

Zexion was growing impatient. He had been pacified when Xigbar had 'kidnapped' Lyra to the ceiling with him but when his efforts seemed to yield nothing more than that he began to form another plot against the clueless love birds. If they were going to beat around the bush with each other, then that was just inviting outside intervention.

The schemer cast his eyes around the room, he would have to enlist help with this one. But who? The women already spoken for wouldn't do any good, Lyra would rationalize away her jealousy with the fact that their spouses wouldn't let them have Xigbar...

That was when the slender, white clad figure of Adel stood out to him from beside the food table. The violet-haired woman was picking through the fudge and chocolates the elves of Stehen had brought and didn't notice Zexion as he approached her.

"I need a favor," he skipped over introduction and from her entrance earlier, he knew she of all people wouldn't mind.

"Name it, bub," she answered casting her ice-blue eyes to him while bringing a sweet to her lips to sample.

Her face brightened after doing so and she quickly put a few of the peanut-butter squares on the paper plate that she held in her hand.

"You're aware who Xigbar is, right?" She nodded so he continued. "I want you to find a way to non-conspicuously trap him under the mistletoe and plant a long and passionate kiss on him." The woman quirked an eyebrow at the man and he clarified, "It's to make someone jealous."

Adel smiled evilly at that and nodded, "How passionate are we talking?" Who was she to turn down the opportunity to cause a little discord? She looked down at the desserts in her hand and the wheels in her head began to churn. "I have an idea, if you can get him to the doorway, I'll take it from there."

Zexion grinned and felt some admiration for their adversary; she could definitely think on her feet. They shook hands and then the man disappeared into the crowd to go find Xigbar. Adel maneuvered her way over to the other side of the table and waited, the mistletoe to her back.

The cobalt-haired man had lived up to his end in record speed as only half a minute passed and Xigbar was making for the exit. Adel turned around eyes on her plate and nothing else as she walked purposefully forward. They collided and the plate of sweets scattered on the floor in the doorway, "Oh shoot!" The woman exclaimed before kneeling down and picking up the crumbling mess, "A little help please?"

Xigbar sighed and bent down to help her, scooping up a handful of the fudge and scanning around the room for the trashcan. They stood and Xigbar jumped as the all too familiar call of "Mistletoe!" sprang through the crowd. The gunner whipped his head back around to the woman beside him.

"Well, might as well give them their show, no?" She asked him as she reached forward and pulled his face to hers without giving him a chance to prepare or protest. With a serpent's speed, Adel's tongue slipped between the man's lips as he was caught off guard and he went rigid against her. But before he knew it it was back in her own mouth again, as if just sampling what he had to offer.

She pulled away with an air of superiority and grinned up at the elf. The crowd didn't seem to know what to do with that show; some people cheered and others laughed. Xigbar looked absolutely shell-shocked. Across the room, Lyra did too.

* * *

"Oh, not again," Phthalein giggled softly as she heard the call for mistletoe.

She had been caught with yet another blonde, but Luxord looked confident where Cid had looked confused.

"You have a knack for this thing don't you?" The man asked with a laugh as he looked up at the plant.

"But if you ask me, you're last one didn't count... Hey Cid! This is how you're suppose to go about it!" He reached down and pushed back the girl's hood and gave her a quick kiss on her pale cheek. Her face didn't stay pale long as a blush bloomed over her features and she quickly pulled the cloth back over her head to hide it.

"I-isn't that cheating?" She asked shyly, bringing her hand up to touch her face.

Luxord laughed, "Calling me a cheat? The cheek of it!"

* * *

He had been doing so well to avoid it...

Xemnas looked at the cloaked woman in front of him and shook his head at the situation. He lacked Luxord's boldness to just remove the hood altogether, but he did want to see what he was kissing. He remembered seeing her face back when she had first arrived but his memory was never the best of reliabilities on such trifle matters.

"This is quite a strange ritual," Nexir commented beside him as she waited.

"Indeed," the man answered before making up his mind.

He put his arm around her back and tilted her down a bit so that he would be at an angle to see her. She was looking up at him in surprise and then he bent down and kissed her chastely on the lips.

"Whoo! Go Superior!" Axel teased from across the room.

"You dog! I never thought you had it in ya," Xigbar joined in.

Xemnas sighed as he righted the woman and she continued on her way. It occurred to him that he might have trouble living this down for the remainder of the night with people like those two there. He reflected on the kiss and smirked; at least he hadn't been in a position like poor Saix.

* * *

Fredrick felt a tug on his hand. He glanced to see the hooded figure of Jetta behind him and offered a smile to the man, Xaldin, he was speaking to.

"Excuse me for a moment." And he turned around.

He felt Jetta's fingers slide between his own and let an affectionate smile tug at his lips, "Yes?" He shook his head when her other hand came up a finger gestured him closer. He leaned forward enough for her to whisper in his ear.

"Let's give these guys something to gawk at," she told him and she turned his head until he was looking at the doorway.

He glanced out of the corner of his eyes at her and squeezed his hand around hers, before nodding. "Let's." He'd been wondering how to get her over there since he'd been aware of its presence. Looked like she had taken care of that. He gave Xaldin a wave and led his partner in crime into the doorway. He was aware that room got quiet. Only two other groups of people had actually gone there intentionally. He chuckled and quickened his steps.

Jetta gasped as he stopped in the doorway suddenly causing her body to topple when his hand pulled from hers. It winded around her waist, however, as he brought her into a dip. His other hand pulled back his hood and then took care of her own.

"It couldn't happen properly with those on," he smiled and then pulled her up. She got the hint and her arms wrapped around his neck. His hand on her waist pressed her against him as he took her lips in earnest. His other hand delved its fingers into her hair as she instantly opened her mouth, and teased his own parted lips with her tongue. He coveted her mouth passionately for that.

The whole room had gone quiet, but that wasn't important to the couple beneath the mistletoe as she reciprocated.

When they finally pulled back after forty-seconds (Zexion had counted), the crowd clapped and cheered. Jetta and Fredrick pulled their hoods up and with a final peck from the man, he and Jetta casually returned to what they had been doing before, only now she was holding Fredrick's hand as he spoke with Xaldin.

* * *

Damien felt his stomach clench at the call. He'd been caught under that infernal plant. He glared up at it before his silent cursing was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He sighed and turned around with a nervous grin on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said to the cloaked woman.

"Lilo's the name," she laughed lightly, "and sorry? It's only regretful that you're married," she shrugged.

The next thing he knew she was standing on her tip-toes, hood pulled back. She pecked him on the lips and then continued on her way out; she'd been looking for Stitch. Damien blinked, his face scarlet in worry.

He heard Lynn's giggle amongst the others, which brought him relief and he left to go to the bathroom like he'd been intending to do before he got caught under the cursed doorway.

* * *

Lyra sat restlessly beside her sister and brother-in-law as they made small talk with Lumarai and Relena. She knew it was silly to be upset at Adel's performance from earlier, but a twinge of jealousy rested in the pit of her stomach nonetheless. Her eyes trailed Xigbar from where he stood at the table hovering over the conversation between Roxas, Namine, Nadia, and Axel.

What she wouldn't give to have Adel's forwardness! She knew the purple-headed antagonist didn't have feelings for the Freeshooter, but it scarcely made her feel any better. What if she couldn't match the other woman's talent? It was clear even to Lyra that Adel was a tease and knew how to confidently carry herself around men.

But she was a fighter. She tightened her hands into fists as she prepared to throw herself into the game. All she needed was an opportunity. She might have never said anything out loud before, but in her mind, Xigbar was her territory. Now, it was time to mark it.

Her wait wasn't long as the long-haired elf took his leave of the table and began walking to the exit. 'Think quick feet,' she thought as she jumped up and jogged across the room.

"Hey, Xigbar!"

He paused and she caught up to him, "Where are you heading?"

"I was going to go see what they're up to in the kitchen, Axel brought up a good point earlier," Xigbar answered with a smile growing on his face.

Lyra noticed this and her own grin began to grow as they made their way the last few steps to the door. They were very self aware as they walked under the archway and had grabbed each other's faces before the watchdogs even finished the customary call.

The force behind their kiss might leave her lips bruised, Lyra noted dimly, but that didn't seem to matter as months of tension spilled out into eight seconds. He was holding her close to his body and despite this she pressed against him as if it were possible to close more space. Her hands were in his hair and his rested firmly on her lower back. She felt herself sigh as they broke contact.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Xigbar laughed as they pulled apart. Merry Christmas indeed.


End file.
